On April 26, 2014, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a roundtable discussion entitled “Economic Security for Working Women.” In his opening statement, Chairman Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) stated that “Too many working women are stuck in poor-quality, low-wage jobs, living in or near poverty, struggling to make ends meet.” Senator Harkin also discussed the challenges faced by women due to pregnancy, family and medical leave, and caregiving more generally. He concluded his opening remarks by calling for Congressional action to help working women, stating that “[r]aising the minimum wage, allowing women to earn paid sick days and paid family and medical leave, ensuring equal pay, requiring accommodations for pregnant workers, and allowing workers to have input into their work schedules – these are winning policies for everyone.”
The roundtable discussion included testimony from:
Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress, Washington, DC
Ellen Bravo, Executive Director, Family Values at Work, Milwaukee, WI
Amy Traub, Senior Policy Analyst, Demos, New York, NY
Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment, National Women’s Law Center, Washington, DC
Lori Pelletier, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Connecticut State Federation of Labor, Rocky Hill, CT
Armanda Legros, Low-wage worker, Jamaica Estates, NY
Gayle E. Troy, Human Resource Manager, Globe Manufacturing Company, LLC, Pittsfield, NH
Rhea Lana Riner, President, Rhea Lana’s, Inc, Conway, AR
Daily News & Commentary
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October 15
An interview with former NLRB chairman; Supreme Court denies cert in Southern California hotel case
October 14
Census Bureau layoffs, Amazon holiday hiring, and the final settlement in a meat producer wage-fixing lawsuit.
October 13
Texas hotel workers ratify a contract; Pope Leo visits labor leaders; Kaiser lays off over two hundred workers.
October 12
The Trump Administration fires thousands of federal workers; AFGE files a supplemental motion to pause the Administration’s mass firings; Democratic legislators harden their resolve during the government shutdown.
October 10
California bans algorithmic price-fixing; New York City Council passes pay transparency bills; and FEMA questions staff who signed a whistleblowing letter.
October 9
Equity and the Broadway League resume talks amid a looming strike; federal judge lets alcoholism ADA suit proceed; Philadelphia agrees to pay $40,000 to resolve a First Amendment retaliation case.